Be bold, live out loud & always remember, #NoDistress

Up with “Armistice” Down with “Veteran”

This morning around 7, I made a status on my personal Facebook page that read the following:
“At the risk of sounding Anti-American is it ok IDC about Veterans Day?

In my ignorance I hit post not thinking anyone would be offended but more or less hoping to kick up some dust and that one of my 300+ friends would comment and convince me that the celebration of Veterans Day is an integral part of being an American.

At the time of publish there are 52 comments on that status multiple from a very dear friend of mine who is married to a Marine (former Marine? idk what the proper terminology is let’s just call him a Marine Veteran). She also happens to be the granddaughter and great-niece of 3 of the first African American Women who served in France during WWII.

Go Nanna & Nanna’s Sisters!

After an educated conversation with my friends, I took too biG brother G & asked him “Why we celebrate Veteran’s Day?” and of course because biG brother G is a Patriot his response was the following link:

On this page I learned that November 11th was not always referred to a Veterans Day but as Armistice Day & it originally was intended to celebrate WORLD PEACE because,

an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

However in June of 1954 the 83rd Congress (holly cow I didn’t know we numbered congress GO ‘Murica #1) voted to amend Public Law 380 (the law I probably should have mention some place prior to this, that made Armistice Day a legally recognized holiday) by changing the word ‘Armistice’ and in its place using the word ‘Veterans’.

here is where my opinion comes in & I Start getting offensive.if you go hard for E-merica & don’t want to be offended Any further than you were by my status then stop reading here.

In my not so humble opinion: changing the name to Veteran’s Day from Armistice Day changed the meaning and reverence of November 11th!

Prior to 1954 Armistice Day was not observed for the Veterans’ service but it was for WORLD PEACE an END to fighting or THE END of the necessity of the service of so many service men and women, a large number of whom were drafted. The parades & the accolades that were received, were received because fighting was FINISHED & with hope that it would not begin again.

As an American who is anti-war, who believes that the military should just be America’s ‘big stick‘ for protection rather than its bullying, who is disgraced by the American injustice system & even more disgraced that we spend more on defense than on educating the next leaders of the free world,

I COULD NOT. CARE ANY LESS. to celebrate Veteran’s Day.

(waves mini-American flag handed to me by a coworker today).

But let me explain why!1. When Armistice Day was amended and changed to Veterans Day the great US of A still enforced a draft to “fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means.” (thanks wiki)

I understand celebrating service men and women who didn’t voluntarily join the armed forces & who were required by law to join to service the country. I however DO NOT believe I should celebrate someone choice to dedicate their life to, Honor, Courage and Commitment. I do respect anyone who is crazy enough to sign their life over to a country that, leads the world in the number of prisoners per-capita (completely unrelated but is it really?)

2. How many Holidays does the military need?
I mean COME ON! We’ve got Memorial Day (fallen Vets & service men & women right?) & Independence Day which to me would make more sense to celebrate Vets then. Any other federally recognized holiday’s I’m missing that somehow support the troops?

3. If its not broken don’t fix it!
When the 83rd congress amended Public Law 380, I believe they did so to make sure the World War II Vets didn’t feel left out. Did they consider that in 2014, 60 years later the Vets to be included & honored on this particular day would have participated in over 20 armed conflicts & wars? Do you think changing the name of Armistice Day was something “the Man” was fully aware of since ya know, the Vietnam War began the prior year? (Ironic the country was observing a day to celebrate “world peace” while simultaneously invading another country)

Essentially, I am afforded the freedom to post this because of the men and woman in uniform who are Always Faithful, those who put Service Before Self, those who are Always Ready and those who Will Defend, This (sorry I tried to include you all). But from the outside looking in, this holiday feels a lot like the pill in the applesauce. We’ve been duped to believe its is about the service men & women, but in actuality it was created in the words of former President Wilson, with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.